The prior art is aware of a number of devices that heat liquids and/or generate steam. In such devices, a tank or vessel is generally provided for receiving/storing the liquid, the vessel having an inlet for the liquid to enter, an outlet to allow the heated liquid and/or steam to exit and a heating element or heat source to heat the liquid and/or generate steam. Examples of such prior art device include storage water heaters, tankless water heaters and boilers. It is common to use electricity and/or gas as the energy source to heat the liquid and/or generate steam. Such devices known in the art suffer from a number of drawbacks.
In storage water heaters, a standard heating element powered by electrical current is typically employed; a natural gas heating system may also be employed. The heating element is generally of low power and requires a considerable amount of time to heat the liquid and/or generate steam. In addition, such devices require complicated control systems to automate operation. The heating elements of such devices may also become fouled by minerals and contaminant in the liquid, further reducing the efficiency of the system and increasing the cost of operation. In addition, storage water heaters expend energy to keep a quantity of liquid heated at all times so it is ready for use on demand.
Boilers are generally larger systems designed to heat larger quantities of a liquid and commonly utilize a combustion system to heat the liquid. Furthermore, due to the design of such devices, they generally require a large space for installation. Due to safety concerns (such as explosion and gas leakage), such devices are generally required to be installed at a distant point to where the heated water and/or steam are used. The noise generated by such systems also dictates that they be installed at a distant point to where the heated water and/or steam are used.
This requires transport of the heated water and/or steam to such distant point, with a resulting loss of energy due to transport and increased energy consumption as a result of the transport process. In addition, prior art devices also generate substantial amounts of pollution into the environment. The heating process also is inefficient, meaning that a portion of the energy provided to the device is not utilized in heating the liquid and/or generating steam (net energy loss).
The present disclosure provides a device for heating a liquid and/or generating steam that addresses the disadvantages known in the art. The device of the present disclosure provides for liquid heating and steam generation such that the net energy loss associated with prior art devices is reduced or substantially eliminated. The devices of the present disclosure are also safer to operate as they do not utilize a combustion system or gas power. Due to the efficient design of the device, it also requires a much smaller footprint for installation. Due to the above improvements, the device can be placed at the point where heated water and/or steam are consumed, reducing energy loss inherent in transport of the heated water and/or steam.
The device of the present disclosure also contains a mineral/contaminant removal system which collects minerals and other impurities in the liquid for subsequent removal. As a result, the device of the present disclosure operates more efficiently than devices of the prior art and may be used in additional processes as well, such as but not limited to, desalinization and water purification.
The device is also designed to be modular and flexible in operation, allowing the device to be operated at a number of different voltages and reducing maintenance costs. The foregoing feature allows the device to receive different types of voltage varying its thermal energy production without the need to trigger changes in its components.
The foregoing improvements address unsolved problems in the art and address long-felt needs in the art.